The Bonfires of Halloween

The bonfire in Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)

The Halloween sequence in the classic movie Meet Me in St. Louis (1944) remains for many the most memorable sequence in the movie. Among other things, the neighbourhood kids build a bonfire in the middle of Kensington Avenue. The Halloween sequence in Meet Me in St. Louis was based on the vignette "October 1903," one of a series of semi-autobiographical vignettes by Sally Benson published in The New Yorker from June 14 1941 to May 1943. While building bonfires on Halloween is no longer as common as it once was, the tradition goes back many years.

For those familiar with the history of holidays in Northern Europe, the building of bonfires on Halloween should not seem that unusual. The Third Council of Constantinople in 680 CE attempted to ban bonfires, "Those fires that are kindled by certain people on new moons before their shops and houses, over which also they use ridiculously and foolishly to leap, by a certain ancient custom...." Despite this, the lighting of bonfires on certain holidays would persist. Among King Henry VII's expenses listed for one Midsummer's Eve was for making bonfires.

It should then come as no surprise that bonfires were built for Halloween in Scotland, the country from which much of the United States and Canada's Halloween customs come. In  1772 Welsh naturalist and antiquarian Thomas Pennant wrote of the people of the Maylin, near Pitlochry in Scotland, "Hallow Eve is also kept sacred; as soon as it is dark, a person sets fire to a bush of broom fastened round a pole, and, attended with a crowd, runs about the village. He then flings it down, heaps great quantity of combustible matters on it, and makes a great bonfire.”

The custom of building bonfires on Halloween would be brought to Canada and the United States by Scottish settlers. The November 1 1864 issue of The Kingston Daily News from Kingston, Ontario states in their article, "Keeping Up Hallowe'en," "Bonfires were lit in several streets...." The custom of Halloween bonfires was known in the United States as well, even if at times it was discouraged. In the 1890 issue of The Minneapolis Star Tribune, bonfires are mentioned among the mischief performed in the night, "...to say nothing of an occasional bonfire worked on the sly, while the precinct patrolman is at the other end of his beat."

While Halloween bonfires were strongly discouraged in many cities, in other municipalities they became part of the official celebration of Halloween. The December 29 1920 issue of The Great Falls Leader out of Montana has a story on how tumbleweed burning will be held on October 30 of the following year as part of the close of Great Falls' Clean-up Week. The October 20 1930 issue of The Los Angeles Illustrated Daily News features a short article that reads, "FUEL TO FIRES! Halloween bonfires on city playgrounds and in community house fireplaces will burn brighter this year for a gift of several hundred railroad ties donated by Los Angeles Railway corporation."The October 30 1957 issue of The Enterprise-Record from Chico, California featured the headline, "Halloween Bonfire Slated for Ridge Tomorrow Evening." The Paradise Recreation District had a bonfire planned for the evening of October 31 1957

While the burning of bonfires would decline in the latter half of the 20th Century, the practice has not totally died out in the United States. As recently as October 12 2021, The Greenville Daily Advocate in Ohio mentioned a Halloween bonfire party to be held by Darke County SafeHaven in Piqua, Ohio. The origin of the custom of bonfires on Halloween is shrouded in mystery. Some would trace it back to the Celtic pagan festival known as Saimhainnin Scottish Gaelic, Samhain in Modern Irish, and Sauin in Manx. Some might give other explanations for the Halloween tradition. Regardless, while it might not be as common as it once was, it would seem that people will be burning bonfires on Halloween for many years to come.

"Halloween" from My Blue Heaven (1950)

A number of classic Christmas songs originated in the movie musicals of the Golden Age of Hollywood, from "White Christmas" in Holiday Inn (1942) to "Silver Bells" in The Lemon Drop Kid (1951). This was certainly not the case with Halloween. While Irving Berlin wrote a song for nearly every other holiday, he totally ignored Halloween in Holiday Inn. And while Meet Me in St. Louis (1944) is known for its beloved Halloween sequence, nowhere is there a song about the holiday in the movie. One musical that did not snub Halloween was My Blue Heaven (1950), which features a song about Halloween titled, well, "Halloween."

My Blue Heaven (1950) starred Betty Grable and Dan Dailey as Kitty and Jack Moran, a married couple who are stars of their own radio show. And like many radio show stars of the time the Morans want to make the transition to television. It is then early in the movie that Kitty and Jack visit their friends, Janet and Walter Pringle (Jane Wyatt and David Wayne) on their farm to talk them into writing material for their new TV show. As it turns out, their arrival corresponds with Halloween so the Pringles' children are dressed in their costumes. That night, Kitty, Jack, and Walter, accompanied by Janet on the piano, perform the song "Halloween" for kids.

"Halloween" was written by composer Harold Arlen and lyricist Ralph Blane who wrote every other song in the movie except for the title tune ("My Blue Heaven" was written by Walter Donaldson and George A. Whiting, and dates to 1927). What makes "Halloween" amusing is that it starts out by ribbing Irving Berlin for never having written a song about the holiday of "Halloween." Both Harold Arlen and Ralph Blane had remarkable careers. Harold Arlen composed the music for the songs "Lydia the Tattooed Lady" and "Over the Rainbow" with lyricist E. Y. Harburg and "Stormy Weather" with Ted Koehler. For much of his career  Ralph Blane was partnered with Hugh Martin, and together they wrote "The Boy Next Door," "The Trolley Song," and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" for Meet Me in St. Louis (1944).

For those of you in the mood for a Halloween song from a classic Hollywood musical, there is "Halloween."

Halloween Newspaper Ads from the Sixties

For much of the 20th Century, several dime stores department stores, and discount stores could be found in towns across the United States. Some of these stores belonged to national chains, such as Woolworth or McCrory, while others belonged to smaller regional chains or were locally owned. One thing that they all had in common is that they often took ads in the local newspapers. This was particularly true when a holiday was approaching, such as Halloween. Below are a few Halloween ads for stores in Missouri from the Sixties.

This is an ad for Kresge's from the October 18 1961 issue of The Sedalia Democrat. I don't remember Kresge's, as we never had a store in our county, but they were a fairly well-known, large national chain of variety stores. It was in 1962 that the S.S. Kresge Company opened the first Kmart, one of the first discount stores. Over time, like other dime stores, the Kresge's stores disappeared from the landscape. As to the S.S. Kresge Company, it became K Mart Corporation in 1977.

This is an ad for TG&Y from the October 28 1962 issue of the Moberly Monitor-Index. TG&Y was a large chain of variety stores in the United States. At its height it had over 900 stores in 29 states.

An ad for Woolworth from the October 23 1966 issue of the  Jefferson City's Sunday News and Tribune. Woolworth is still fairly well known, even if the last Woolworth store in the Untied States closed years ago. This ad being from 1966, quite naturally the ad features Superman, Batman (whose hit TV show was in its second season), and The Green Hornet (then appearing in his own TV show).

This is an ad for Ben Franklin from the October 25 1967 issue of the Moberly Monitor-Index. Unlike some of the other stores mentioned in this post, Ben Franklin is still in operation, even if it is not as big as it once was. The Ben Franklin chain was founded in 1927 by the mail-order company Butler Brothers. At its peak in 1959, there were over 2500 stores across the United States. Over time Ben Franklin would evolve from the old variety stores into craft shops, some of which survive to this day.

This ad for the Gibson's Discount Centre is from the October 23 1968 issue of the Chillicothe, Constitution-Tribune. Gibson's Discount Center was a large chain of stores that originated in Abilene, Texas. By 1968 there were 438 stores located in several states (including Missouri). Over time the chain would decline, and it would be closed by 2002. Apparently there are still some old Gibson's stores, now independents, that still use the name.

This is an ad for Mattingly's from the October 22 1970 issue of the Mexico Ledger. Chances are good that if you are not from Missouri you might never have heard of Mattingly's--there seems to be next to nothing online about the chain of dime stores online--but at one time there were several Mattingly's stores across the state. The very first Mattingly's store opened in Odessa, Missouri in April 1914. By 1937 it had already grown into a small chain. By the early Seventies there were 56 Mattingly stores across Missouri. It was at this time that Mattingly Brothers Stores Company began opening family variety centers under the name Mactco. Unfortunately, over time Mattingly's would go into decline. It was in 1986 that the remaining Mattingly and Matco stores were acquited by PM Place Stores, a chain based out of Bethany, Missouri. PM Place Stores itself would be acquired by  ShopKo Stores Inc. in 2000.

Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury

Something Wicked This Way Comes could possibly be the most famous novel by Ray Bradbury, There are certainly many who consider Something Wicked This Way Comes to be a perfect novel to read around Halloween. While it does not deal with the holiday, Something Wicked This Way Comes takes place from October 23 to October 25, and features subject matter suited to Halloween.

Something Wicked This Way Comes centres upon two 13 year old boys, Will Halloway and Jim Nightshade. Not only are the two neighbours and best friends, but Will was born one minute before midnight on October 30 and Jim was born one minute after midnight on October 31. The two boys, with the help of Will's father Charles, find that they must defend their hometown of Green Town against the malevolent, supernatural carnival known as Cooger & Dark's Pandemonium Shadow Show. Headed by the menacing Mr. Dark, the Pandemonium Shadow Show featured such unusual attractions as the Dust Witch, The Skeleton, and a rather unusual carousel.

In writing Something Wicked This Way Comes, Ray Bradbury drew upon his childhood spent in the Midwest. It would be his second novel to be set in the fictional city of Green Town, Illinois, the first being Dandelion Wine (published in 1957). It is fairly obvious that Green Town was inspired by Ray Bradbury's hometown of Waukegan, Illinois. A portion of the inspiration for Something This Way Comes may well go back to 1932, when Ray Bradbury's uncle Lester Moberg was murdered and a young Ray Bradbury met a sideshow performer known as Mr. Electrico.

Ray Bradbury's uncle, Lester Moberg, was an attendant at the Veteran's Bureau hospital in North Chicago. Lester Moberg had been shot in a struggle with a mugger. While  surgery performed on him seemed successful, he died a week later. It was following the death of Ray Bradbury's uncle that he had his encounter with Mr. Electrico. While Ray Bradbury's account of his meeting with Mr. Electrico would vary, in nearly every account Mr. Electrico sat in an electric chair with a sword in his hand. Several volts of electricity would would be run through Mr. Electrico so that his hair would stand on end and sparks would leap from his fingers. He then stood and went for to the children, tapping each one of them with the sword. He tapped young Ray Bradbury with the sword so that electricity ran through the boy, and told him, "Love forever!"

Ray Bradbury usually portrayed the death of his uncle and his meeting with Mr Electrico has having occurred on Labour Day weekend in 1932. Relatives of  Ray Bradbury also believed that this was the date of Lester Mosberg's death. According to records, he died on October 24. The date of October 24 is significant, as it is also the date that Cooger & Dark's Pandemonium Shadow Show arrived in Green Town in Something Wicked This Way Comes. Given Ray Bradbury always said his uncle died in September, it seems very unlikely that Ray Bradbury intentionally chose October 24 for the date of the sinister, supernatural carnival's arrival, but it seems quite possible that his subconscious pulled that date from deep in his memory.

While Something Wicked This Way Comes owed much of its inspiration to Ray Bradbury's childhood, the novel also owed a good deal to film. Ray Bradbury and his wife Marguerite were invited to a showing of Invitation to the Dance (1956) by their friend, legendary actor, director, and dancer Gene Kelly. The carnival sequence in the movie struck a particular chord with Mr. Bradbury. He told his wife walking home from the film, "I'd give my right arm to write a screenplay for Gene Kelly." His wife told him she was certain that in his files he had something dealing with carnivals or circuses.

The two of them looked through his files and found a short story entitled "The Black Ferris" that had been published in Weird Tales (May 1948). ). Ray Bradbury wrote an 80 page screenplay and sent it to Gene Kelly. Gene Kelly loved the screenplay and wanted to both produce and direct it. Unfortunately, he had difficulty getting backing for the project. Gene Kelly sent the script back to Mr. Bradbury. Ray Bradbury then re-wrote the screenplay as the novel, Something Wicked This Way Comes.  It was published in 1962.

Something Wicked This Way Comes has received generally positive reviews from the beginning. In the June 15 1952 issue of Kirkus Reviews, it was observed of the novel, "The allusions (the October country, the autumn people, etc.) as well as the concerns of previous books will be familiar to Bradbury's readers as once more this conjurer limns a haunted landscape in an allegory of good and evil. Definitely for all admirers."  It would also have a lasting influence on various authors. Stephen King referenced Something Wicked This Way Comes in his novel The Dead Zone. Something Wicked This Way Comes also provides much of the inspiration for Stephen King's novel Needful Things. Clive Barker, Neil Gaiman, R. L. Stine, and yet other authors have also been influenced a good deal by Something Wicked This Way Comes.

The influence of Something Wicked This Way Comes would go beyond literature. The title of Harry Nilsson's second album is Pandemonium Shadow Show, taken from the novel. The band Creature Feature's song "The Greatest Show Unearthed" references Something Wicked This Way Comes and their 2007 album The Greatest Show Unearthed takes inspiration from the book. Tessa Violet named her 2016 EP Halloway after Will Halloway. Yet other music artists have referenced the novel in songs and on albums.

Something Wicked This Way Comes would also have an impact on movies and television.  Don Coscarelli has credited Something Wicked This Way Comes with some of the inspiration for his movie Phantasm (1979). The 2003 HBO series Carnivàle would appear to owe Something Wicked This Way Comes.Such shows as South Park, The League of Gentlemen, and Rick and Morty have paid homage to the novel. Something Wicked This Way Comes has itself been adapted as a film twice.  Forest Hill Film Unit & Drama Troupe produced a 1972 low-budget adaptation of the novel directed by Colin Finbow. The second time was a big budget version produced by Walt Disney Productions and Bryna Productions.

Something Wicked This Way Comes would not be Ray Bradbury's last novel set in Green Town, Illinois. In 2007 Farewell Summer, the sequel to Dandelion Wine, was published. A collection of short stories and vignettes set in Green Town, Summer Morning, Summer Night, was published in 2008.

Something Wicked This Way Comes is still counted among the greatest novels ever written. It is certainly one of the most influential. And given its subject matter and the time in which it is set, it remains one of the best books to read around Halloween.

Godspeed Ron Ely

Ron Ely, who played Tarzan on television and Doc Savage on film, died on September 29 2024 at the age of 86.

Ron Ely was born on June 21 1938 in Hereford, Texas. He graduated from Amarillo High School in 1956. He attended the University of Texas in Austin for a year before he moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in acting. He made his film debut in a bit part in South Pacific (1958) as a navigator. In the late Fifties he also appeared in the films The Fiend Who Walked the West (1958) and The Remarkable Mr. Pennypacker (1959). On television he guest starred on Father Knows Best, Steve Canyon, Playhouse 90, How to Marry a Millionaire, The Millionaire, and The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp. He played Dobie's older brother in the unaired pilot for The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, a part played on the series by Dwayne Hickman's real life older brother Darryl Hickman.

In the Sixties, Ron Ely was a regular on the TV series The Aquanauts. After former NFL player Mike Henry, who had played Tarzan in film, quit, Ron Ely was approached about playing Tarzan on a television series. He was reluctant to take the part, but his agent convinced him to do so. The series ran for two seasons and 57 episodes. He also guest starred on the TV shows Thriller and The Courtship of Eddie's Father. He appeared in the movies The Night of the Grizzly (1966) and Once Before I Die (1966).

In the Seventies, Ron Ely played his second best known role, that of Clark "Doc" Savage in the cult film Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze (1975). He also appeared in the movies The Cry of the Black Wolves (1972), Alleluja & Sartana are Sons... Sons of God (1972), MitGift (1976), and Slavers (1977). He guest starred on television on Ironside; Marcus Welby, M.D.; Wonder Woman, Fantasy Island, and The Love Boat. He was the host of the game show Face the Music. He hosted the Miss America pageant in 1980 and 1981.

In the Eighties, Ron Ely starred in the 1987, syndicated revival of the TV show Sea Hunt. He guest starred on the Fantasy Island, The Love Boat, Matt Houston, and Hotel. In the Nineties, he guest starred on the TV shows Superboy, the Nineties series Tarzan, The Hat Squad, L,A. Law, Renegade, and Hawkeye. He guest starred on the syndicated TV series Sheena in 2001 and he appeared in the TV movie Expecting Amish in 2014.

Ron Ely published two novels, Night Shadows in 1994 and East Beach in 1995.

I think it is safe to say that Ron Ely will always be best remembered as Tarzan and Doc Savage. While Tarzan only ran for two seasons, it proved to be successful in syndication, so that Ron Ely was the first Tarzan for many people. While Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze bombed at the box office, it developed a cult following after repeated showings on television, despite departing a bit form the original pulp novels. While Ron Ely was best known for playing heroes, he could play other sorts of roles as well. In an episode of the Nineties, syndicated series Tarzan, Mr. Ely even played a villain, a hunter who hunts Tarzan. He also played a villain in an episode of the TV series Hawkeye. Ron Ely played a variety of other sorts of roles on TV shows and in movies, from military officers to police officers to athletes. He won't be forgotten.

The Los Angeles Times' 2024 Digital Día de Muertos Ofrenda

During the COVID-19 pandemic many Day of the Dead festivities were cancelled around the country. It was then in 2021 that The Los Angeles Times created a digital ofrenda to which individuals could submit photos and memories of their loved ones who have died. And while the COVID-19 pandemic would end, The Los Angeles Times has brought its virtual Día de Muertos altar back every year ever since. Indeed, each year I have submitted a memory and a photo of Vanessa to the altar.

The Los Angeles Times set up this year's digital ofrenda today, and you can submit any photos of your loved ones' (including pets) to it here. The Los Angeles Times will accept submissions until November 1. A selection of the virtual ofrendasw will be included on their community altar at Hollywood Forever Cemetery and in a special print edition to be published on November 3 2024. You can make your submissions here.

Last year's digital ofrenda for Vanessa

The Dodgers on 1960s Television

Leo Durocher, Mister
Ed, and Alan Young

As a kid growing up in Missouri, the first professional baseball team of which I was aware was the St. Louis Cardinals. As to the second professional baseball team of which I was aware, I am guessing that it was either the Dodgers or the New York Yankees. I am inclined to think it was the Dodgers. It would not be surprising if they were, as they had a fairly high profile in the Sixties and Seventies. Indeed, the Dodgers had a fairly high profile for much of their history. During the Golden Age of Hollywood, the Brooklyn Dodgers had been referenced in such movies as Once Upon a Honeymoon (1942), Arsenic and Old Lace (1944), It Happened in Brooklyn (1947), and yet others. Probably the Brooklyn Dodgers movie was The Jackie Robinson Story, the biopic in which Jackie Robinson himself starred. The Dodgers hardly disappeared from the media after moving to Los Angeles in 1958. If anything, they appeared with regularity on television.

I am not sure when the Dodgers were first referenced in a scripted television show. It might well have been when they were still in Brooklyn. One of the earliest was the 1960 Michael Shayne episode "Strike Out." In "Strike Out" detective Michael Shayne investigated the death of a former baseball star. Los Angles Dodgers Sandy Koufax, Ed Roebuck, Larry Sherry, and Stan Williams appeared as themselves, as well as legendary Dodgers announcer Vin Scully.

The Michael Shayne episode "Strike-Out" would be followed by yet other, more famous appearances of the Dodgers on television shows in the Sixties. Among the most famous is the 1963 Mister Ed episode "Leo Durocher Meets Mister Ed." In the episode, the famous Mister Ed becomes frustrated with the Dodgers' poor playing of late and goes to the length of calling their coach Leo Durocher with advice on batting. Leo Durocher appeared as himself, as did Sandy Koufax, John Roseboro, Moose Skowron, and announcer Vin Scully.

Of course, the fame of "Leo Durocher Meets Mister Ed" may be matched or even surpassed by two other sitcom episodes in which the Dodgers are referenced. In the 1963 episode of The Beverly Hillbillies "The Clampetts and the Dodgers," Jed and Jethro go golfing, only to encounter Leo Durocher, who wants to hire Jethro as a pitcher. Leo Durocher also tries recruiting someone in the 1965 episode of The Munsters "Herman the Rookie," In the episode, when Herman Munster knocks a baseball out of a park and knocks out Leo Durocher eight blocks away, Mr. Durocher seeks out Herman to sign him to the Big League.

Before being referenced on The Beverly Hillbillies and The Munsters, the Dodgers had been referenced on other sitcoms. In fact, the all-time champion among sitcoms when it comes to the Los Angeles Dodgers may well be The Donna Reed Show. Don Drysdale appeared in no less than four episodes of the show. In the 1962 episode "The Man in the Mask," Donna's son Jeff got an interview with Don Drysdale. Don Drysdale also appeared in the 1963 episode "All Those Dreams," in which Jeff travels with his father to Chicago to see the Dodgers play there. The following year Don Drysdale appeared in the episode "My Son the Catcher," in which Willie Mays of the San Francisco Giants also appeared. The 1964 episode "Play Ball," in which  Donna's husband Alex organizes a charity game to benefit his hospital," not only featured Don Drysdale and Willie Mays again but also Leo Durocher.

Don Drysdale not only appeared on The Donna Reed Show in 1962 but also in the Leave It to Beaver episode "Long Distance Call," in which Beaver makes a long-distance call to the pitcher. Don Drysdale also appeared as himself on the short-lived show Our Man Higgins and later The Brady Bunch (by which time he had retired). In addition to Mister Ed, Sandy Koufax also appeared in the 1962 Dennis the Menace episode " Dennis and the Dodger," in which Mr. Quigley gets the Los Angeles Dodgers to play an exhibition game. Don Drysdale, Tommy Davis, Frank Howard, Willie Daivs, Moose Skowron, and Ron Perranoski all appeared on The Joey Bishop Show, with the voice of Vin Scully announcing a Dodgers-Mets game as well.

As to the legendary announcer Vin Scully, he not only appeared on Michael Shayne, Mister Ed, and The Joey Bishop Show, but he also appeared on the short-lived sitcom Karen and was the voice of various baseball announcers on yet other shows. Of course, he was also the narrator of the short-lived, cult show Occasional Wife.

As to why the Dodgers and Leo Durocher appeared so much on television shows in the Sixties, I suspect part of it was because Hollywood always had a soft spot for the Dodgers, even when they were in Brooklyn. When the Dodgers moved to Los Angeles, one can perhaps not blame Hollywood if they fell even more in love with the Dodgers. On top of this, when they were still the Brooklyn Dodgers, they won the World Series in 1955. They won the series again in 1959, 1963, and 1965.

As to why the Dodgers began appearing less frequently on TV shows in the Sixties, that is more difficult to say. Perhaps part of it was that the team stopped doing as well as they did in the late Fifties and early Sixties. The 1965 World Series would be the last one they would win until 1981. Their last National League Pennant won in the Sixties was in 1966. No longer the champions they once were, the Los Angeles Dodgers were no longer a hot commodity in the late Sixties. Of course, it is also possible that the novelty of Los Angeles having its own team simply wore off where Hollywood was concerned. Regardless, for a time in the Sixties, a year did not go by that some Dodger or Leo Durocher or Vin Scully didn't appear in some television show. And the Los Angeles Dodgers continue to appear in television shows to this day.